CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, who played in New Orleans from 2006-09, faces possible disciplinary action from the NFL in connection with the Saints' bounty probe, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Monday.

Fujita, a member of the NFL Players Association's Executive Committee, has been an outspoken advocate for players' health and safety, especially as it relates to concussions.

Fujita suffered a concussion in the Oakland game last season and sat out the following week. After quarterback Colt McCoy was sent back into the Steelers game with a concussion, Fujita called for independent neurologists to be on the sidelines of every NFL game.

In 2009, Fujita played under then-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who allegedly ran a bounty system from 2009-11 in which defensive players were rewarded for knocking opposing players out of the game, including Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. The NFL said Friday that 22 to 27 defensive players were involved in the scheme and that the bounty pool was worth up to $50,000. "Cart-offs" were worth $1,000 and "knockouts" $1,500. In the playoffs, payments doubled or tripled, and reached their peak in 2009, when the Saints won the Super Bowl.

Fujita, whose wife gave birth to their third daughter on Thursday, has not yet returned two emails or a call seeking comment. Browns safety Usama Young, who played for the Saints from 2007-10, also declined to comment through his agent Andy Simms.

Williams, now the defensive coordinator of the Rams, met with NFL security officials in New York on Monday to answer questions about the alleged violations, according to various reports. Sanctions could come down within the next few weeks. But the NFL might just be scratching the surface.

Related stories

The Washington Post reported that Williams ran a similar bounty system when he was defensive coordinator of the Redskins, according to five former players and a coach. Former Bills safety Coy Wire told The Buffalo News that Williams paid players for injuring opponents when he was head coach of the Bills.

"It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it," Williams said. "Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry."

Fujita and Young aren't the only two in the Browns' family with a link to the scandal. New offensive coordinator Brad Childress was head coach of the Vikings in 2009 when the Saints apparently targeted Favre. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma reportedly offered $10,000 to anyone who knocked Favre out of the game.

They almost did just that. Favre suffered a serious ankle injury that night and was too hobbled to pull out the game in the end, throwing an interception instead. Saints defensive end Bobby McCray was fined $20,000 after two improper hits on Favre in that game, and Favre told Sports Illustrated's Peter King that he thought others should have been fined, too.

The following September, before a rematch between the teams, Childress told Saints reporters on conference call: "What I hate to see are late hits or attempts to hurt anybody. I don't think there's a place for that in the game."

Asked if he felt the Saints tried to hurt Favre that game, Childress said, "Yes, I would have to say that, yes."

Childress could not be reached through a Browns spokesman Monday.

Fujita told Yahoo.com a day after that game: "No doubt about it -- we came out really kind of hoping to knock the [expletive] out of Brett, and I felt we did that. But that [expletive] is tough. He kept coming back at us. He's incredible."

Favre told SI's King over the weekend, "I'm not going to make a big deal about it. In all honesty, there's a bounty of some kind on you on every play. Now, in that game there were some plays that, I don't want to say were odd, but I'd throw the ball and whack, on every play. Hand it off, whack. Over and over. Some were so blatant. I hand the ball to Percy Harvin early and got drilled right in the chin. They flagged that one at least.

"I've always been friends with Darren Sharper, and he came in a couple times and popped me hard. I remember saying, 'What the hell you doing, Sharp?' I felt there should have been more calls against the Saints. I thought some of their guys should have been fined more."

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.